Notts students reject Abercrombie & Fitch at careers fair

An overwhelming number of students from Nottingham University have voiced their opposition at the institution’s decision to invite the unashamedly elitist clothing label Abercrombie & Fitch to its careers fair.

In a poll conducted by the university’s student paper, 78% of students wanted university management to retract its careers fair invitation to the company, who have a well-publicised history of casting prejudice against both employees and customers based on appearance.

Abercrombie’s CEO Mike Jeffries found himself in the headlines recently when quotes from an interview conducted in 2006 finally hit the headlines. Speaking to Salon, he said: “A lot of people don’t belong in our clothes, and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny.”

This isn’t the first time that the label has found itself in murky water. In 2002, the brand was forced to pull a string of t-shirts that were deemed racially insensitive and just three years later, A&F were in the line of fire for creating a line for pre-teen females with sexually suggestive phrases printed across the chest including “Who needs a job when you have these?”.

Nottingham University defended itself, saying: ““We do not think it is appropriate to withdraw the opportunities to those students interested in a possible career with this company on the basis of one person’s ill-considered remarks. Our students are adults and are able to make their own decisions about whether or not they engage with any particular organisation.”

Although some students supported the appearance of A&F, second year sociologist and Nottingham student Will Hazell said: “There should not be any room within this University for exclusive, preening vanity. If Abercrombie & Fitch wants to exclude people they deem to be ‘uncool’, then the University of Nottingham should exclude A&F.”